Oh, call me Sakurachan
by odmonkey
Summary: A small piece of LeeSaku fluff. Like I say in the story, not enough of this pairing.


I don't own Naruto. There just aren't enough LeeSaku fics around.

Sakura grumbled, today was not going well. On top of having exhausted herself training with her favourite silver-haired jounin she was now being given the job of retrieving some of her current sensei's clothes; apparently lost in an out-of-hand drinking game. If it wouldn't cause Tsunade to have a mental breakdown she would stop bringing her sake so she wouldn't get stuck fishing her mentor's shirt from the top of the Hokage Tower.

Looking down for a minute turned out to be a mistake. The top of the tower was a very long way off the ground and in her weakened state the world began to spin. Shaking her head and pulling herself together se reached across and grabbed her sensei's overly large undergarment from its perch and put it in her pack for the climb down. She thought to herself that god only knows how Tsunade and co managed to get up there in the first place while completely steaming when she was finding it difficult completely sober; if a little tired.

She had to stop looking down or she was going to be sick and being sick while you're climbing down the from the very top of the hokage tower is never a good idea. Why couldn't there just be stairs right up to the top?

Thankfully for herself and any passersby below she managed to get into the main body of the Hokage Tower without falling or being sick. After returning the clothes to her rather abashed sensei she wandered into the street with the vague idea of getting something to eat. However the vertigo hadn't quite left her and she was forced to steady herself against the wall to avoid the incredible embarrassment of falling over in the street. Pushing herself off the wall she felt her arm being supported by someone in a tight green lycra body suit. She turned to the large concerned eyes of Rock Lee and smiled.

_"Hi Lee-san, how are you?" _Now Sasuke was gone she had completely re-evaluated the way she treated the determined young man after se found her behaviour totally unacceptable.

Lee had been wondering if she would take offence at his helping her as now she was in the process of making herself strong and independent. He was also pleased to note that she was now no longer incensed by his presence and infact went out of her way to talk to him at times. His Gai-sensei was right, his charms would win out in the end!

_"Hello, Sakura-san, are you well? You seem tired"_

_"I'm fine really thanks, just a couple of days of hard training"_ Sakura smiled at the care and dedication he showed despite how she had treated him in the past.

Lee crossed his fingers for his next question. _"I was just going to get some lunch, would you do me the honour of acompanying me?"_

_"I wish just heading for lunch myself, I'd love to Lee-san"_ Lee fought very hard to keep the megawatt grin off his face at her words and instead offered her his arm and was even more delighted when she took it with a smile.

He brought her down the street from her usual Ichiraku stand and into a homely cafe that he seemed to know very well. A polite old women took their order and led them to a cosy table near the back of the building. He was so pleased to be here in his favourite restaurant with the cherry-blossom herself! Ontop of her willingly being here she also smiled and encouraged him at his talk of training with Gai-sensei; his jokes about Neji-san went down well for she was well used to dealing with his grouchy personality when treating his injuries.

She made delighted faces and noises at the food which he knew from long experience was excellent. He was quietly captivted by the way she ate but managed not to stare as her tongue slid across her chopsticks with every bite. She told him about her training with the Gondaime and how her mentor was not only that but her friend and confidante too. As well as how her sensei's ways got her doing silly chores like retrieving clothes from the top of the Hokage Tower.

After the meal she remembered she had a shift at the hospital and had to go home to change and Lee insisted that he walk her. Before she would have turned him down instantly and begged Sasuke to have that honour. But of course, that Sakura wouldn't be having lunch with him alone. She smiled with a slight blush over her nose and said she didn't didn't want to trouble him. He felt his heart soar as he saw that blush and told her it was definitely no trouble at all.

She didn't know why she was blushing but the gentlemany acts coming one after another from Lee were making her feel smiley and giddy and causing her to have a pink face. She muttered something about not wanting to trouble him despite the fact that he would insist - and was of course incredibly pleased when he did.

She took his arm again as they walked down the street and he couldn't be happier. He was with the girl of his dreams and she was blushing on his arm and enjoying his company. He couldn't wait to tell Gai-sensei. When they arrived at her home she regretfully disentangled her arm from his and looked into his eyes.

_"Lee-san, I want to say thank you. Not just for the meal or for spending time with me today but for everything. For being behind me all this time, being my support and most importantly staying by my side when I was so awful to you. Thank you ... Lee-kun"_ She leant forward and kissed his cheek before retreating into her house.

Lee stood shocked for several minutes - a kiss from the cherry blossom Gai-sensei! And not just that - the beloved '-kun' suffix which had only ever been awarded to Sasuke. These were happy days, he smiled the mega-watt smile that had been dying to come out and rushed to find his mentor and friend.

From that day forward his relationship with the cherry blossom only got better and better. She asked for his help in improving her stamina - her strength clearly required no work from him - and he was glad to offer whatever assisstance he could. She found in him a hard-working and determined friend who was willing to see her potential even if he still went easy on her from time to time.

However the feelings she thought would stay with the dark Uchiha forever began to find a new home in the body of 'Konoha's beautiful green beast'. The way he blushed when she complemented him, the way he was always there to help her up after a fall, the way he was warm and kind to her. It was a slow process but in the months after Sasuke's departure she began to see what she had been missing for so long.

Sure Rock Lee didn't have Sasuke's chiselled features but he more than made up for that in heart and compassion. Two things the Uchiha was sorely lacking in. She knew that Lee still had feelings for her but she wasn't sure if he preferred them as just friends or if he too wanted more.

The trouble coming to the decision whether to tell him her feelings or not was clearly evident as both he and Kakashi had asked if something was wrong. Kakashi had been made so proud by the growth of his only female student. She had become someone no one had thought she could've been and he now regretted not paying her more attention when she was stilll under his tutelage. Now to see her worried aout something worried him and she had confided in him the feelings she had. He wasn't as shocked as he would have a few months prior but he was still a little bemused that she had come to love the one she used to try and avoid. The predominant emotion he felt was one of happiness that she had let the Uchiha slip from his pedestal in her heart and was no longer haunted by is memory.

Lee was worried that he had done something to upset the girl who held his heart. He'd stopped their training short and pulled her to a bench to talk to her and find out what he'd done. It didn't even register to Sakura that this was the self-same bench that Sasuke had left unconcious on as she was so wrapped up in how to get her point across to the young man infront of her.

_"Sakura-san, I ... Have I done something to offend you?" _Lee hung his head waiting for her to tell him that she would prefer if they didn't spend so much time together as that was the conclusion his mind had brought him to.

Her head snapped up and she quickly put her hands on his broad shoulders. _"No! Not at all Lee-kun! I just want to say that ... that ... that I ..."_

_"What is it Sakura-san?"_

Something in Sakura broke at the worried look on Lee's face. _"Oh call me Sakura-chan" _ And she pulled him close, forcing her lips against his.

Lee was completely frozen in shock but after a second yielded to the soft lips on his. One thought ran through his mind before being overtaken by the kunoichi infront of him. 'I did it'.

R/R


End file.
